US Open Preview

WHO'S OUT: After reading an eyewitness report that said Marat Safin had tweaked a knee while practicing at Flushing Meadows, I was hoping this wouldn't happen--but it did. Safin has pulled out of the US Open; according to his official website, "as a professional tennis player he has had to admit his body is saying it is too soon." Get well soon, Marat. With you gone, Roger Federer's half of the draw is that much less unpredictable.

WHO'S UP: In roughly 11 hours, first round action will start at the Open. Top women seeds starting at 11:30 AM include Maria Sharapova (1), Kim Clijsters (4), and Serena Williams (8). Sharapova is seeded #1 in this tournament but got bumped down to #2 in the world rankings after Lindsay Davenport (seeded #2 here) defeated Amelie Mauresmo in the Pilot Pen final yesterday.

Williams has been plagued by fitness-related problems since her pull-out at the French Open and her flame-out at Wimbledon. If she manages to get through the first few opponents, she is seeded to meet sister Venus in the fourth round.

Clijsters has been called one of the best current players never to have won a Slam. Going into the Open, she has had a strong summer hardcourt performance and may not have peaked yet. Hopefully she performs well and wins at least one Slam before retiring in 2007. A US Open title will be as good as any to start with.

In the men's event, Rafael Nadal (2) and Andre Agassi (7) will begin play in the morning. Both of them will be looking to make a good run at the Open. Agassi is, as always, the perennial and sentimental crowd favorite at Flushing Meadows. He's given his back nerve enough time to recover from playing in Los Angeles and Montreal, and he's in fighting form again.

Nadal, who beat Agassi in the final at Montreal, headlines the bottom half of the men's draw. Last year he was bamboozled by Andy Roddick in straight sets, but he's since proven himself a tough-as-nails competitor. Aside from a poor showing at Wimbledon and a first-round loss in Cincinnati, Rafa this year has been one of the most consistent players on tour, jumping in ranking from #46 to #2. We shall see if his game pays off on the fastest hard courts in the world.

WHO'S BLOGGING: Justin Gimelstob, the leaping American who made a run at Wimbledon, is now writing for Sports Illustrated. He faces serve-and-volleying giant Max Mirnyi in the first round; if the first two articles he's written are any indication, he'll have something interesting to say about the results of that.

Other bloggers (at least for the duration of their stay at the US Open): Robby Ginepri, Scoville Jenkins, and Carly Gullickson.

WHO'S DRESSED: After weeks of wearing no-brand clothing, Lleyton Hewitt (through his manager) has finally announced that he's sealed a deal with Yonex to dress him for the next three years. Yonex has a history of sponsoring the players who wield its racquets; notable examples include David Nalbandian and Elena Dementieva. Hewitt is set to debut in his Yonex gear at the US Open.

WHO'S EVERYWHERE: Have you seen Andy's Mojo? How about his Lexus? The official card and car of the US Open (American Express and Lexus, respectively) have both launched media-saturating ad campaigns with their star tennis endorser. If you're planning to watch all the US Open matches on TV, expect to have Andy's face burned into your retinas for the next two weeks. At last count, Roddick's Lexus ad had a total of 12 variations. Andy's Mojo (or, at least, the actor playing the ugly cowboy) has also been seen around town appearing at various events. To top it all off, Roddick made a very short appearance on the Today Show last Thursday just to promote the US Open and his American Express ads. (Screencaps available at Men's Tennis Forums.)

posted by Noelle De Guzman @ 11:30 AM